Efficient reduction of antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements in organic waste composting via fenton-like treatment.

[Display omitted] • Fenton reagent significantly reduced ARGs and MGEs abundance. • Addition of Fenton reagent restricted the late-phase resurgence of ARGs. • MGEs were responsible for variations in the ARG profiles in C treatment. • Acinetobacter, Corynebacterium, and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 were the key hosts of ARGs. Livestock manure harbors antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and aerobic composting (AC) is widely adopted for waste management. However, mitigating ARG resurgence in later stages remains challenging. This work aims to curb ARGs rebounding through a Fenton-like reaction during food waste and swine manure co-composting. Results revealed that 0.025 % zerovalent iron (ZVI) + 0.5 % hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) facilitated maximum ARG, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and 16 s rRNA removal with reductions of 2.68, 2.69, and 1.4 logs. Spectroscopic analysis confirmed Fenton-like reaction and cell apoptosis analysis indicated that 0.025 % ZVI and 0.5 % H 2 O 2 treatment had the maximum early apoptosis, least observed, and normal cells on day 30. Redundancy analysis highlighted the influence of bacterial communities and physicochemical properties on ARGs, with MGEs playing a crucial role in Fenton treatments. Our findings suggest incorporating ZVI and H 2 O 2 in composting can significantly reduce ARGs and enhance waste management practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]